Planet Africa Tours offers destination management services to the Japanese market, operating tours across Southern and East Africa. Our expert team has a wealth of knowledge and the connection to deliver an exceptional experience for any travelers visiting from Japan. A combination of local knowledge and an understanding and appreciation of the requirements of the Japanese traveler has made Planet Africa the largest Southern Africa operator in the Japanese market.
The overall purpose of the Senior Inbound Reservations Consultant is to proactively secure and manage FIT and group bookings; going the extra mile to create exceptional customer and guest experiences.
It requires a strong focus on achieving sales and profit targets and an all-around understanding of customer requirements.
Key Responsibilities:
- Providing expert travel advice to customers that exceeds their expectations
- Ensuring the smooth operations and excellent on-the-ground management of FIT and Group bookings, managing bookings from quote to finalizing, invoicing, and travel documentation
- Quoting the most appropriate products and services.
- Converting quotes into bookings
- Offering alternatives, cross-selling, and upselling
- Accurate and timeous loading of bookings into the Reservations system
- Conducting availability checks
- Booking of all accommodation and services and reconfirming all services
- Sourcing and securing alternatives if any availability challenges arise
- Managing release dates of services booked
- Resolving any on-the-ground incidents or challenges
- Managing customer accounts and resolving account queries within set deadlines
- Quality control of bookings
- Building and maintaining strong relationships and a high level of quality communication with customers and suppliers
- High level and frequent interactions on every group with Guides and Tour Leaders
- Creating opportunities for Planet Africa to earn additional income, e.g. secondary buying, commissions, and optional tours
- Ensuring that all loops are closed and that every party is always appraised of their duties to ensure the successful operation of FITs and groups
Requirements
Qualification:
- Grade 12
- A travel and Tourism qualification is highly recommended.
Criteria:
- Experienced in consulting, quoting, and operating Inbound FIT and Group bookings
- Experienced working with the Japanese market
- Japanese writing and language skills will be highly preferable
- Very good understanding of working with travel booking systems
- Solid product, destination, and logistical knowledge of South and Southern Africa
Attributes:
- Can manage high volumes whilst maintaining a high level of detail and accuracy
- Skilled communicator who provides quality communication to customers (e.g., quoting, changes, recommendations)
- Excellent interpersonal skills to maintain customer, supplier, and guide relationships
- Services and customer experience focused, always understanding and considering the customers' expectations and requirements
- Maintains quick turnaround times on customer quotations, updates, complaints, and queries
- Adaptable and enjoy working in a changing environment
- Exceptional at problem-solving and solutions-driven
